Capricorn Concerto
Samuel Barber's Capricorn Concerto (Op. 21), completed 8 September 1944 is a chamber piece for flute, oboe, trumpet and strings. It was premiered by Saidenberg Little Symphony at Town Hall 8 October 1944. It lasts approximately 14 min.
The concerto was written when Barber was still serving in the army but at a point of time when he was granted time and freedom to compose. Hence the piece was composed in and named after the house "Capricorn", acquired by Barber and Gian Carlo Menotti in 1943 and so-named for the maximum sunshine it got during the winter (Heyman 1992, 239).
The Capricorn Concerto is designed like a Baroque concerto grosso and scored with the same instruments as Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 2: three solo instruments—flute, oboe and trumpet—and strings. The piece is a departure from Barber's previous language, being neither atonal nor polytonal, but written in a contemporary tonal style. Rhythmically nervous with frequent shifts of tempi, it may be characterized as neo-classical and was strongly influenced by Stravinsky (Heyman 1992, 243).
The work has three movements:
- Allegro ma non troppo
- Allegretto
- Allegro con brio
The concerto was recorded by the Eastman-Rochester Orchestra, conducted by Howard Hanson.
Discography
- Samuel Barber: Capricorn Concerto. Julius Baker (flute); Mitch Miller (oboe); Harry Freistadt (trumpet); Saidenberg Little Symphony; Daniel Saidenberg, cond. (With William Schuman: Symphony No. 5. Concert Hall String Symphony; Edgar Schenkman, cond.) LP recording, mono, 12 in. Gold Label Series. Concert Hall CHS-1078. New York: Concert Hall, [1950s]. Capricorn Concerto reissued on CD Samuel Barber: Premiere Recordings (Also with The School for Scandal Overture, Op. 5; Sonata for Cello and Piano, Op. 6; Symphony no 1, Op. 9; Essay for Orchestra no 1, Op. 12; Dover Beach, Op. 3; Adagio for Strings). Pearl CD 49.
- Samuel Barber: Capricorn Concerto, Essay No. 1 for Orchestra. Louise DiTullio (flute); Allan Vogel (oboe); Anthony Plog (trumpet,); Pacific Symphony Orchestra; Keith Clark, cond. Pacific Symphony American Music Series. LP recording. Andante AD 72406. North Hollywood, Calif.: Andante, 1983.
- Barber: Violin Concerto, Cello Concerto, Capricorn Concerto. Jacob Berg (flute); Peter Bowman (oboe); Susan Slaughter (trumpet); St. Louis Symphony Orchestra; Leonard Slatkin, cond. CD recording. RCA Victor Red Seal 68283.
- Barber: Capricorn Concerto, Adagio for Strings, Serenade for Strings. (With works by Arthur Foote, Aaron Copland, and Charles Ives.) János Bálint (flute), Reinhold Friedrich (trumpet), Lajos Lencsés (oboe); Budapest Strings; Károly Botvay, cond. CD recording. Capriccio Records 0505.
- Music For The Theatre Vol 2. Samuel Barber: Capricorn Concerto for Flute, Oboe, Trumpet and Strings, op. 21. Omar Zoboli (oboe), Isabelle Schnöller (flute), Reinhold Friedrich (trumpet); Basel Chamber Orchestra; Christopher Hogwood, cond. (With music by Aaron Copland.) CD recording. Arte Nova 506930. [n.p.]: Arte Nova, 2006.
References
- Heyman, Barbara B. 1992. Samuel Barber: The Composer and His Music. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195090581.
Further reading
- Crafton, Jason Allen. 2010. "A Trumpeter's Guide to Samuel Barber's Capricorn Concerto". DMA diss. Denton: University of North Texas.
- Wright, Jeffrey Marsh II. 2010. "The Enlisted Composer: Samuel Barber's Career, 1942–1945". Ph.D. diss. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
External links